


Scene IV: Waka

by TheEigthPillarGeneral



Series: In Pursuit of a Thief [4]
Category: Ghost of Tsushima (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Mongol Invasion, Bonding, Courtship, F/M, Love Poems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29472291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEigthPillarGeneral/pseuds/TheEigthPillarGeneral
Summary: In which Taka discovers Jin and Yuna's ongoing courtship, while Jin receives good news from his uncle in the midst of trying to write a poem for Yuna.
Relationships: Jin Sakai/Yuna
Series: In Pursuit of a Thief [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2136030
Comments: 20
Kudos: 22





	Scene IV: Waka

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you everyone for all your support; they've really helped me in creating this series.
> 
> Also, I was greatly inspired by the beauty of Omi Monastery in the game, so it'll show up in this scene.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

After their first training session together, another routine is set into place.

Yuna will meet up with Jin beneath the maple tree by Omi Lake, where he will teach her various sword fighting techniques with a bokken. He teaches her everything he knows, from different sword stances to combining them with martial arts. And once he has her practice the techniques, they spar together with their bokken.

It’s during these training sessions that Yuna comes to learn just how skilled Jin Sakai is, even with a bokken. 

He wields a bokken as if it were a real sword that fits perfectly in his hands, and he moves with a grace that only a person of high rank can ever possess. If Yuna has potential, then Jin has something else entirely, especially with how naturally he moves with a blade.

Yuna can’t help the slight twinge of envy she feels whenever she watches him demonstrate.

Even so, it’s far too difficult to be too jealous of Jin, particularly when he is so sweet towards her after each training session.

One day, after another sparring session beneath the maple tree, Yuna moves to sit upon the small dock by the lake, removing her footwear before slipping her bare feet into the cool water with a sigh of relief.

The sun shines down brightly from the sky, and the summer heat lingers heavily in the air.

A few moments later, Jin comes and sits down next to Yuna, wiping off a sheen of sweat from his forehead.

“Do you like it here in Omi Village?” Jin asks, glancing at Yuna.

Yuna shrugs, then nods. “Yes, actually,” she admits. “It’s peaceful and very pretty. Taka also really likes it here.”

She and Taka have travelled all over Toyotama and Izuhara, but none of the settlements they’ve been to can even compare to Omi Village. Besides, this peaceful little village is a nice change from their tumultuous travels in the past.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Jin says, looking genuinely pleased.

“You know… Taka has been working hard on your swords,” Yuna tells him. “He doesn’t want to let you down.”

“Perhaps I should pay him a visit,” Jin muses. “I’d like to see what kind of work he has done so far.”

“Then how about we visit him right now?” Yuna suggests. “I’m sure he’d be just as happy to see you.”

Jin smiles. “Of course.”

With that, he mounts his horse, and Yuna climbs onto the separate horse that Jin had brought this time.

While she’s a little glad that Jin had been considerate enough to get her a separate horse to ride, Yuna can’t help but miss the experience of sitting behind Jin as they ride together on his horse.

Then again, there’s no way they can ride together into the village without inciting suspicion among others. At least this doesn’t look as suspicious or suggestive to others.

It doesn’t take too long before they arrive at the forge, and once they stop their horses, they dismount and head inside.

As always, Taka is hard at work. While Yukio tends to the fire in the back, Taka works on sharpening a blade, looking up right as Yuna approaches him with Jin in tow.

“Yuna! Lord Sakai!”

Taka immediately stands up and bows to Jin, who returns the gesture with a slight nod.

“Lord Sakai wanted to see how his swords are coming along,” Yuna explains. “Mind showing him?”

“Of course.” Taka picks up the sword that had been laying upon the anvil and shows it to Jin before explaining what he’s been doing.

“I’ve been working on refining and sharpening the blades of your katana and tanto,” Taka explains. “When I’ve finished with them, they will be sharp enough to cut down your enemies with a single strike; the very envy of Hachiman himself.”

Jin nods, looking impressed. “You’ve done fine work so far, Taka,” he praises. “I will be sure to have the first portion of your payment delivered tonight.”

Taka bows. “Thank you, my lord,” he says sincerely. “That means a lot to me.”

Yuna can’t help but feel a little proud. Her little brother being entrusted with the blades of Lord Sakai himself is quite an honour, and it seems that all his lessons and efforts are finally beginning to pay off.

“So, how was your training together?” Taka asks, looking back and forth between Yuna and Jin.

“It’s been going fine, I guess,” Yuna says with a shrug. “Lord Sakai is quite talented with the blade.”

Jin averts his eyes for a moment before he looks back at Yuna again.

“I’d like to try and change up our training a little bit,” Jin tells her. “How do you feel about taking a day trip to other prefectures for training next time? Or even a day trip to Izuhara?”

Yuna hums thoughtfully.

As much as she likes the training grounds beneath the maple tree, a change in environment does sound quite nice, whether it’s in Toyotama or in Izuhara. And besides, perhaps Jin might try and find new ways of courting her in each of these new places, since he certainly hasn’t forgotten about that either.

“Sounds like a great idea, Lord Sakai,” she says. “What places do you have in mind, then?”

“Umugi and Kushi have some nice places that I like to visit for training from time to time,” Jin tells her. “Ariake and Hiyoshi are also ideal training places in Izuhara. We could travel there in the future, if you wish.”

Does he intend to take her all over the island? Not that Yuna’s complaining, of course.

“They all sound great,” she says honestly, folding her arms over her chest. “Plus, you can also show me around each place.”

Jin nods, his cheeks now faintly pink as he agrees. “Of… Of course.”

He clears his throat. “How would you like to travel to Ariake in a few days, then?” he offers.

“I would like that very much, Lord Sakai,” Yuna tells him with a faint smile. “Thank you for the offer.”

“There’s no need to thank me.” Jin gives her a soft smile, then gently takes her hand in his. “I shall be counting down the hours to our next meeting.”

With those words, he brushes his lips ever-so-gently against Yuna’s fingers, and her cheeks heat up rapidly at the gesture. So caught off-guard she is, she doesn’t even remember to remind him of Taka’s presence.

_ You never fail to surprise me, don’t you, Jin Sakai? _

“Have a good day, Yuna,” Jin tells her, releasing her hand.

Yuna just nods. “I’ll see you again, Lord Sakai,” she murmurs, watching as he departs from the forge.

Her heart flutters against her chest, and she can’t help but smile a little, feeling like a teenage girl all over again.

“Yuna…”

Taka’s voice breaks her reverie, and she turns to see him looking at her with an expression of complete shock, no doubt from what he’d just seen.

Then again, it was only a matter of time before he’d found out, but it’s better now than much later on, she supposes.

“Did… Did Lord Sakai just…” Taka manages to utter.

Yuna sighs softly. “Yes, he did,” she says. “In fact, Lord Sakai has been courting me for a while now. Not a very long time, but long enough.”

Taka nods slowly, but remains silent, and Yuna’s not sure whether he’s upset or pleased for her.

The rest of the day continues on as always, but it’s during dinner that Taka brings it up to Yuna, when they’re away from earshot of the others.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Yuna? I’m your brother, am I not?” Taka asks.

Yuna shakes her head. “I don’t know,” she admits. “And I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I just… I didn’t want anyone else to find out about it.”

“I see…” Taka takes another bite of millet and boar meat.

“Are you angry, Taka?” Yuna asks.

“No, not at all,” Taka says truthfully. “It’s just… I wish you had told me when he first started. I mean, this is a big deal, after all.”

And he’s right. A peasant woman being courted by Lord Jin Sakai, nephew of Lord Shimura, is certainly a big deal, especially considering the difference in their ranks.

Oh, if news of their courtship got out, the gossip will be endless.

“Why has he decided to court you?” Taka asks.

Yuna chuckles. “As it turns out, me defending you back at the inn was what attracted Lord Sakai to me,” she says. “So he’s training me in fighting, and courting me at the same time.”

Taka raises an eyebrow. “Just be careful, Yuna,” he advises. “I know he’s a good man, but you should still be careful.”

“Oh, hush,” Yuna chides lightly. “I should be the one who is looking out for you.”

Silence passes between them for a moment before Taka speaks again.

“So how has Lord Sakai been courting you, Yuna?” he asks.

“Well, he’s been taking me on horse rides around the lake, and he showed me a fox den in Kubara Forest so far,” Yuna says. “He also plans on showing me around Omi Monastery tomorrow, as a break from training.”

“That’s a lot less elaborate than what I pictured.”

“And thank Buddha for that,” Yuna laughs. “I don’t think I’m ready to be dolled up and treated like a noblewoman yet.”

“I can’t even imagine you looking like one, honestly,” Taka agrees with a laugh.

Though in all honesty, the thought of dressing up a little does sound rather nice.

But for now, Yuna is perfectly happy to enjoy these simpler courtship gestures that Jin is showing to her, and hopefully, she will be able to make sense of these strange feelings eventually.

With a soft smile, Yuna turns to the window and looks out at the view of the Clan Sakai estate sitting atop the hill that overlooks the village.

She can’t wait to see Jin tomorrow.

* * *

“Young Master.”

The shoji door slides open, and Jin looks up just in time to see Yuriko entering his private study.

“Yuriko,” Jin greets, setting his brush down. “What is it?”

“Your tea is ready,” she says, approaching his desk to set down a cup of green tea beside his paper and inkstone. “Make sure you drink it before it goes cold.”

Jin barely manages to suppress his smile.

“I’m not a child anymore, Yuriko,” he tells her. “But thank you.”

She might be old, but no one else can manage a household of servants as well as Yuriko. After all, she’s the one who has been maintaining the estate of Clan Sakai while Jin had been at Castle Shimura under the care of his uncle.

Even now, despite being the clan leader, Jin still looks to Yuriko for guidance whenever he can. She’s like a grandmother to him, and back when he was a boy, she had been like a second mother.

Jin takes a sip of his tea before glancing out at the night sky from the crack in the shoji doors that lead outside. Having already taken his dinner and bath, he has since changed into a forest-green yukata with firefly motifs upon the silk, as well as a black haori over top, as is customary for a clan leader at home.

“You’ve been visiting Omi Village quite a lot,” Yuriko observes, interrupting Jin’s thoughts.

“Is that so?” Jin asks, picking up his brush to resume his writing. “I’ve been managing food distributions, so it’s important to check on the welfare of the people here.”

Yuriko nods slowly, but Jin can tell that she doesn’t quite believe him.

“Indeed, that is admirable,” she agrees. “But surely it doesn’t warrant visiting the village for hours on end?”

Much to his dismay, Jin’s ears begin to burn.

“There’s no point in trying to hide it from me,” Yuriko chuckles. “I already got a glimpse of what you were writing, and it’s certainly not just calligraphy practice.”

Now, Jin’s face is burning.

He should’ve known better than to try and write a poem to Yuna when Yuriko or any other servant could easily come in and see what he’s writing.

“Just who are you planning on writing to, Jin?” Yuriko asks.

Well, there’s certainly no point in trying to deny it any longer.

So with a sigh, Jin answers, trying to be as vague as he can.

“I’ve… met a woman,” he admits. “And I’ve been wanting to write her a poem, just like the aristocrats of the Imperial Court in the mainland.”

“But that was a tradition practiced centuries ago,” Yuriko points out. “Do you think that this woman will accept it?”

Jin pauses. “I don’t know,” he says. “But I hope to give it to her at our next meeting.”

Suddenly feeling a little hesitant, he glances over at Yuriko.

“Also, please do not tell my uncle about this,” he adds.

Yuriko’s eyes twinkle. “Do not worry, my lord,” she says. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Then, she straightens up as if remembering something. “I just remembered. Your uncle has written back to you.”

She approaches his desk and hands him a letter, which Jin accepts with a raised eyebrow. While this is certainly not unwelcome, he can’t help but feel a little bit nervous as to how his uncle may have responded.

“Thank you,” he says. “You are dismissed, Yuriko.”

“Very well. Have a good night.”

With that, Yuriko departs from the study, closing the door behind her.

Once the door is closed, Jin unrolls the letter and begins to read through it.

The first part of the letter has Lord Shimura thanking Jin for his inquiries about him, as well as his best wishes for Jin’s own well-being. He only briefly scans over that part before moving onto the rest of the letter.

To his pleasant surprise, Lord Shimura has actually taken his concerns about the tax law rather seriously. In fact, he’s agreed with what Jin had written about the ledgers and how disproportionate the laws are to the year’s crop, saying that Jin raises a good point in regards to that.

Even more, he’s agreed to repeal the tax laws.

A smile crosses Jin’s face, and he can’t help but feel thrilled that his uncle has actually listened to him. He’ll definitely have to share this news with Yuna.

But then, his smile fades as he gets to the end of the letter, where his uncle mentions the winter festival celebration at Castle Shimura, and how he’d managed to invite a couple of noble clans from the mainland. In particular, he mentions how the leader of Clan Oga from the mainland has a daughter of marrying age, and while nothing else is brought up, Jin knows the implications behind that innocuous statement.

Sooner or later, he will have to get married and produce an heir to continue the Sakai bloodline. But how can Jin tell his uncle that he’s already courting a woman right now?

Sighing quietly, he sets the letter aside and gets back to working on his poem for Yuna.

He’ll deal with it tomorrow, he decides as he continues to write out the poem. Right now, he’s going to focus on wooing Yuna through poetry.

* * *

The Omi Monastery never fails to take Jin’s breath away, no matter how many times he visits it.

The skies are clear and blue, and the trees around the monastery complex shine in radiant red and gold, looking much brighter beneath the sunlight. A waterfall flowing from Mount Omi rushes into a pond, the sound of rushing water underscoring the melodic chanting of the monks in the complex.

But none of that can even compare to the ultimate treasure of the monastery: the giant Buddha statue that towers over the complex, peacefully watching over the monks who reside here.

Even though Jin has been to the monastery many times, the sheer beauty of the place never fails to leave him amazed.

Beside him, Yuna looks around the monastery in awe.

“This is beautiful,” she breathes out, looking at the Buddha statue. “I’ve heard stories about how tall the Buddha statue is, but I didn’t think it would be  _ this  _ tall.”

Jin smiles faintly. “That’s the heart of Omi Monastery,” he explains. “This whole monastery is actually a part of the Tsushima Pilgrimage route, and it’s all because of the Buddha statue.”

Yuna raises an eyebrow. “I never knew that,” she admits. “But I can see why it’s a part of the route.”

“I was once fortunate enough to see the monks travel through here as a boy,” Jin continues. “The pilgrimage might have already passed, but the warrior monks of Cedar Temple often travel to this monastery during the Month of the Gods.”

He’s not too sure why he’s sharing the history and traditions of Omi Monastery to Yuna, but she seems rather intrigued by it, so it’s not too bad.

Jin continues to lead Yuna through the complex towards the giant Buddha statue that watches over the area. Various monks bow in greeting to Jin, which he returns with a nod, and while a few of them look at Yuna curiously, they don’t say a word, preferring to return to their duties.

At last, they reach the shade of the Buddha statue.

“Yuna,” Jin says, getting her attention.

Yuna raises an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Much to his dismay, Jin feels his ears burning as he retrieves the poem he’d written for her.

“I wrote this poem for you last night,” he tells her, holding the scroll to her. “I hope you like it.”

Now, Yuna looks surprised, but she accepts the scroll and opens it up. As she reads through it, a smile begins to play at her lips.

> _ “When the evening comes _
> 
> _ I'll leave ajar my door _
> 
> _ And await _
> 
> _ One who in dreams _
> 
> _ Said she would come to me.” _

“Aren’t you rather forward, Lord Sakai?” she teases, lowering the scroll.

Jin averts his eyes, his face burning with embarrassment. “Was it too much?” he asks.

When he hazards a glance at her, he’s surprised to see a gentle smile upon her face.

“Thank you, Lord Sakai,” she says warmly. “Your poem was lovely to read.”

“You’re welcome,” Jin says at last, his heart beating a little faster.

And that’s when he remembers the letter he’d gotten from his uncle, particularly about what he’d said regarding the tax laws.

“I got a letter from my uncle last night,” Jin says, observing as Yuna perks up in interest. “He’d responded to my concerns about the tax law.”

“What did he say?” Yuna asks.

“He’s promised to repeal the laws,” Jin tells her, smiling at the mix of surprise and joy on her face.

“Well…” Yuna trails off, perhaps too surprised to respond properly. “I honestly didn’t expect that.”

She smiles back at him. “I never would’ve thought you would take this seriously, though.”

“I don’t like seeing others suffer,” Jin admits, staring out at the waterfall. “The well-being of others is my priority, especially those who cannot defend themselves.”

“I see…”

Silence hangs between them for a moment before Yuna breaks it.

“You know… Taka knows about you courting me now,” she says, her eyes glimmering with good humour. “After all, he saw you kissing my hand in the forge yesterday.”

Jin shouldn’t feel so surprised. He should’ve known better than to do it so openly, but he’d thought he was being subtle about it.

Then again, there’s nothing really subtle about brushing one’s lips against another’s fingers.

“Does… he approve?” Jin asks, feeling a little hesitant now.

“He does, actually,” Yuna reassures.

Somehow, that’s a bit of a relief, knowing that Yuna’s brother approves of him.

He then decides to change the subject to the day-trip to Ariake that he had suggested.

“In three days’ time, we shall be travelling to Ariake for training,” he reminds her. “Make sure you prepare yourself for the journey, and wait for me beneath the maple tree at the hour of the tiger. Once I’m there, we shall ride to Izuhara.”

Yuna nods. “As you wish, my lord,” she says.

“Jin,” he corrects her.

“What?” Yuna looks at him in surprise again.

Suddenly feeling shy, Jin gives her a hesitant smile. “Please, you may call me ‘Jin’,” he tells her. “I insist.”

After all, if he’s courting her, then surely she doesn’t need to call him by ‘Lord Sakai’ anymore.

Yuna seems to hesitate for a moment, but then a smile slowly crosses her face.

“Alright then… Jin.”

Somehow, his name sounds so wonderful coming from her lips, and it makes Jin’s heart beat a little bit faster once again.

There’s no doubt now. Whatever he’s feeling for Yuna has deepened a bit further, and while he’s not exactly sure what it is, there is one thing that he is very much certain of.

He can’t wait to explore these new feelings with Yuna in the coming days.

**Author's Note:**

> \- The use of haiku in the game amuses me quite a bit, because it's 400 years too early. "Waka" would've been the correct form of poetry used in the 13th century (and that is what is used in the Japanese dub), so I've decided to use waka poetry instead of haiku. 
> 
> \- The waka poem that Jin wrote here is actually a poem from the Man'yoshu anthology of waka poetry, the oldest collection of waka poetry in all of Japan. Its author is anonymous, but I thought it was so sweet and very much something that Jin would write to a lover.
> 
> Please let me know how I did, and have a good one!


End file.
